Sliding meat keeper



United States Patent O 2,769,611. sLinlNG MEAT KEEPER.

Ibel C.l Courson, Glenside, and Raymond A. Mason and Harold C. Gtamlith,ltliiiladtlnhia,4 Pa aSSislwrS t0 Philco Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa.,a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March; 10,y 1954, SerialvNo.415,382 3 Claims. (Cl. S12-308) Theinvention-he1elnafter, disclosed andclaimed relates iQ cabinet, construction, and. more. particularly, iSconcerned, WithA the construction and arrangement. of a traylike Chillerdrawer within a refrigerator cabinet,

It` is desirable incertain types of household refrigerators to providebeneath the freezing, compartment or evaporator a slidably mounteddrawer type` receptacle or tray for the storag of meats, or the like.`Many such trays are provided with covers for restricting the iiow ofair into and out of the tray.A Often, these covers, are secured to fixedcabinet structure. or to the track mounting the drawer Within thecabinet, but in some cases they arev hingedly secured to the trayyitself. Additionally,v the cover may extend over the entire tray oralternatively over only a portion thereof.

The present inventiony is concerned with a tray of this general typebut, more Speeiically, 'with 011e Similar in construction to, that`shown` in assignees, Patent, No. 2,604,762 tQQuinn, which issued luly29, 19,52. In this patented construction, a tray-like receptacle extendssubstantially across. the full width of the refrigerator cabinet andisslidably mountedbeneath` the evaporator. rlh: tray is divided down. itsmiddle into twoy compat-tments,A only one of which.v is provided with acover..y 'I hecover inthe Quinn. construction includes a rear portionxedzto the tray and. a, front portionhingedl-y secured` toY the saidrear poi-- tion. Access to; the covered portion` of the tray,vnecessitates sliding the4 drawer to its forwardv position, in whichitextends fromthe front opening of therefrigerator, and then raising thelid to its open position. This makes the-use of thetray somewhatinconvenient andzneoessitates the. refrigerator door being open forundesirably long periods of time. l

The present invention has as its primary object the provision of animprovedl Chiller-drawer providing quick and easyY operation.

A more` specific object of the invention is to provide such a trayhaving acover which may (in responseto substantially the samewithdrawingmovement) either be retained in position over thek tray when the latteris moved to advanced position, or which may` be retained within therefrigerator cabinet during such movement, thereby to provide easyaccess tothe normally covered portion` of thetray.

In; achievement of the foregoing objectives, and rst briefly described,the invention provides ina refrigerator cabinet a tray-like drawerstructure disposed beneath the evaporator and in spaced relationthereto, saidstrueture being of a width and depthv substantially equalto `the width and depth of said refrigerator compartment. The tray isparticularly characterized in that it is providedwith cover meanscooperating with Wallsof the tray to define an enclosedmeat receptacle.The cover is so disposed as to move with the tray when the latter ismoved forwardly, or to Aremain stationary during such movement thus to4expose the interior of the tray. Either condition is achieved by meansofa releasable latch or detent` element 2,769,677 Egatented. Nov.7 6,E956 ice 2 fixed. to the tray cover and associated with fixed cabinetStructure in a manner to be retained by. the latter during movement oftheA tray, or easily disengaged therefrom durinitialy movement of theytray, whenr it is to be moved forwardly- The manner inv which theforegoing and other objects and advantages may best be achieved,` willbe understood froml a. consideration of thefollowing detaileddescription taken together with they accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary/. front elevational viewl of the upperportionof a refrigerator cabinet with parts broken away and showing thechillen-drawer in section and.. mounted beneath the evaporator of therefrigerator.

Figure 2 is a view taken substantially along the line 2v2 of Figure l YFigures 3, 4, 5, and, 6. aret fragmentary side elevational views, with`partsbroken away, and illustrating. the operation of the app aratus;Aand.

Figure 7 is a, fragmentary sectional view taken. substantiallyalongthe-line 7i?? ofFigure 3,.

New,` making more detailed reference to the drawings, and, especially toFigures lI and Z` thereof, itwill be seen that the invention. is thereinillustrated as embodiedin a domestic refrigerator comprising; an outershell 10 and aninner shell' or'liner-member 11-,space dinwardly of andinsulated fromrouten shell 10 bymeans; of suitable insulation shown at.12.v As is custorrrary,` a breaker strip 13 of low thermal conductivityextends; about the, forward face of thecabinet and bridges thegapbet-Ween said outer Shelli lriifand theinner liner-L1.` .Itwillberunderstoodfthat the refrigeratorV alsofincludes a compartment.for a cornpressor-condenser unit off any desiredI type,l butillustration` of this portion of theyapparatus isconsidered unnecessarysince-the `present inventiongis not concerned therewith.

As clearly appearsin both of Figures. 1. and 2, and` as describeds morefully in the. aforesaidj Quinnpatent, the space withinvtheinnerliner-il, is subdivided-.mman upper relatively.l low temperaturestoragecompartment 1.4.` and a lower above freezing compartment 15 bymeans of the traylike chiller-dzalwer structure of the presentinvention,which. latteris,designatedgenerallyvby the reference charaeter lo. ltwill be understood-.that thefrontaccess opening of they refrigerator isAnormally provided with a` door (not.shown); adaptedftosealthe spacedefinedby the inner liner,l b y seatingl against the. cabinet inA theplane of the aforesaidl breaker strip 13; p

The upper zone or compartment 14l is utilized as the colder temperaturecompartment adapted for the storage of'ffrozn foods, ets-indicatedhereinabove, and to this end the compartment isprovidedwith'anevaporatorl? which maybe of conventionall configuration.andpreferably is of a Width andy depth:V substantially equal to thewidth and depth of the compartment 14 defined by the upper wall portionsof` the inner liner 11. The evaporator 1-7 would,` of course, be coupledtothe condensing unit mentioned above through suitable suction andfeedlines which itis not necessary to .illustrate herein.

Asthe-present invention is not particularly concerned with; thetemperature characteristics. of the refrigerator, the-followingdescription will be limited to the tray construction andfitsmountingonthe walls of theinner liner member 11.

Whilethetray might be manufactured of many types of material, it. hasbeenfound desirabletoconstruct it of certain plastic materials,preferably, clear or-transparent materials, and polystyrene; has been,found particularly desirableas it lends itself toinexpensive manufactureand is'of pleasing appearance.

In particularaccordancewith-ourinvention, the Chillerdrawerstructure 16`comprisesatray-like member, defined generally by a bottom wall 18i andby opstanding wall portions 19, extending peripherally about the tray.As clearly shown in Figure 1, the structure is divided by means of acentral upstanding wall into a right-hand open top receptacle 21, and aleft-hand covered meat receptacle 22. The wall 20, of course, may beformed integrally with the tray or by a separate piece suitably bondedin a watertight manner to the bottom of the tray and to the adjacentportions of the peripheral wall 19. The open section 21 of the trayserves not only as a re ceptacle for certain classes of food stuffs, butalso to provide for the accumulation of defrost water withoutnecessitating removal of the contents of the covered meat receptacle 22.An open front cover or hood 23 cooperates with portions of theperipheral wall 19 and with the upstanding wall 20 to complete theenclosure or receptacle 22. As clearly shown in Figure 2, the front wallof tray 16 extends upwardly to an extent suflicient to close the openfront of cover 23 when the cover is in its closed position.

The side and rear walls of the tray are provided along their upper edgesand on the outside thereof, with troughs 24 adapted to receive dripwater from the evaporator during defrosting operations and to cause saiddrip water to flow into the open side 21 of the tray, as mentionedabove, by way of notches 25 in rear wall 19. Trough 24 also cooperateswith bracket members or trackways 26 mounted on the side walls of liner11 to provide the means in this embodiment for supporting the trayslidably upon said walls. It is understood, of course, that thissupporting means is exemplary and that the tray could be supported inother ways, such, for example, as is the tray in the aforesaid Quinnpatent.

While the tracks 26 may be of any suitable material and may take otherconvenient shapes, it has been found both convenient and economical tomold them in one piece and of plastic material. Each track preferablycomprises a channel including a base portion 27 and upper and lowerinwardly extending flanges 28 and 29, respectively, the lower flangeIproviding the support for the tray. With particular reference toFigures 3 through 6, it will be seen that the lower flange has itscentral portion recessed, as indicated at 30. Each of the side troughs24 is provided adjacent its rearward portion with a downwardly extendingstop element 31 which cooperates with `the front wall 32 of recess 30 toprovide means for stopping the tray in its foremost position, as seen inFigure 6.

Referring to Figure 7, it is seen that clearance is provided between theupper edge 33 of the side troughs and the underside of the upper flange28 of trackway 26, thereby providing suflicient space to permit relativefreedom of movement between the tracks and the tray.

Cover member 23 is in the shape of an inverted open front tray includinga top wall 34, downwardly extending side walls 35, and back wall 36.With reference to Figure 2, it will be seen that the forward portion 37of each of the side walls 35 extends slightly lower than the rearwardportion thereof. Each of the forward portions 37 includes an outwardlyturned flange 38, while each of the rear portions of the wall includes asimilar outwardly turned flange 39.

As shown in Figures l and 7, the space between side walls 35 of thecover is less than the space between side wall 19 and central wall 20,thus permitting the depending forward portions 37 of the cover sidewalls to pass below the top edge of the said tray walls, when assemblingthe cover with the tray, until flanges 38 come to rest upon flanges 40,extending inwardly from walls 19 and 20. Flanges 40, as seen in Figure2, are substantially equal in length to the depth of the tray.Simultaneously, flanges 39 of the depending cover walls engage flanges41 extending inwardly from the top edges of walls 19 and 20 from a pointadjacent the rear edge of extension 37 of the cover to the rear wall ofthe tray, as seen more clearly in Figure 2. Flanges 39, as seen inFigures l and 7, are provided with a downwardly turned edge portion 42which cooperate with walls 19 and 20 of the tray to aul'ately positionthe cover on the tray in a manner preventing inadvertent sidewisedisplacement thereof relative to the tray.

In Figure 7, it is seen that the rear wall 43 of the trough extendingalong the rear of the tray is somewhat lower than the corresponding wallof the side wall trough, thus to permit freedom of sliding movement ofthe cover to the rear of the tray.

Still with reference to Figure 7, it is seen that upper flange 28, oftrack 26, includes an inwardly extending finger or latch element 45having its outer end terminating somewhat shorter of side wall 35 of thetray cover. This latch element is engaged between the depending walls 46and 47 of an inverted U-shaped member or keeper 48 extending from, andpreferably integral with, side wall 35 of the cover member. Rear wall 46of keeper 48 is somewhat shorter than its forward wall 47 and preferablyhas its outer or rearward edge 49 tapered upwardly to the rear. Itshould be understood that latch element 45 is formed integrally withtrack 26 as a matter of convenience and economy, and could, if desired,be a separate element secured directly to the cabinet wall.

Now with reference to Figures 3 through 6, the operation of the traywill be described.

Figures l and 3 show the tray and cover supported, as by side walltrough 24, within the refrigerator cabinet upon lower flanges 29 oftrackways 26 in retracted position with the latch element 45 engagedwithin keeper 48. It will be seen that flanges 38, along the lower edgeof depending side wall portions 37 of the cover, rest upon flanges 40 onside wall'19 and center wall 20 of the tray, while the outwardly turnedflanges 39 at the rear of the cover side walls rest upon the top offlanges 41 extending inwardly from the same tray walls.

Considering now the withdrawal of the tray to gain access to opencompartment 21 thereof, it is desirable that the cover 36, overcompartment 22, remain in position on the tray so that the compartmenttemperature will not be substantially affected. For easy handling of thetray, a finger grip or handle portion 50 has been provided at the top ofthe upward extension of the front wall of the tray. To move the tray inthe manner described, handle 50 is grasped, the tray is lifted upwardly,as shown in Figure 4, thus removing the keeper 48 from engagement withlatch element 45. The tray is then pulled forwardly to its extendedposition, as shown in Figure 5, to an extent sufficient to enable theuser to gain access to compartment 21.

Should the tray be withdrawn to its fully extended position, stopelement 32 engages wall 31 of the track, thus preventing inadvertentcomplete withdrawal of the tray. This condition is shown in Figure 6 inconnection with a different operation of the tray. In the fully extendedposition, if the tray is released, it would tip downwardly until therearward ends of the side troughs engage the underside of the upperflanges 28 of the trackways, thus to prevent the tray from falling. Ifit is desired to remove the tray from the refrigerator, it is merelynecessary to raise the tray until extension 32 clears the wall 31. Thismovement is possible by reason of the clearance between the top of thetrough 33 and the bottom wall of top flange 28 of tracks 26, as seenmore clearly in Figure 7. Returning the tray to its retracted position,as shown in Figure l, it is merely necessary Vto push it rearwardly tothe position shown. At the end of this movement, the tapered edge 49 ofthe shorter rear wall 46 of keeper 48 causes the cover to ride over andengage latch bolt 45. It will be understood that with the tray in itsadvanced position with the cover in place over compartment 21, emergencyaccess may be had to the compartment simply by pushing the cover to therear.

When the tray is in its retracted position, access to coveredcompartment 22 may be gained by merely drawing the tray forwardlywithout lifting it, thereby maintaining latching engagement of the coverwith element 45, while the tray moves from beneath the cover to theextent shown in Figure 6. During this movement, cover flanges 38 and 39ride upon tray flanges 40 and 41, respectively. After initial movementin this manner, it will be seen with reference to Figure 2 that lowercover flange 38 passes between flanges 40 and 41 thus locking the coverto the tray in a manner to prevent its displace-y ment therefrom whenthe tray has been moved to its fully extended position. To preventcomplete displacement of the cover relative to the tray, when in theposition shown in Figure 6, it will be noted that the rear edge of thedownwardly projecting portion 37 of cover wall 35 engages the back wallof the tray to prevent further relative movement between these parts.

It is now seen that the construction and arrangement described aboveimproves the ease and facility of operation of a tray-like receptacle ofthe type shown in the aforesaid Quinn patent, making it much moreconvenient to operate, and saving both the time of the user and reducingoperating expense.

We claim:

1. A Chiller-drawer for refrigerator cabinets, said drawer comprising; atray having a bottom wall, upstanding side walls, and an intermediatewall, defining a two compartment open-topped tray, said tray alsoincluding a pair of upper and lower channel forming flanges, extendinginwardly from adjacent the top edge of one of said side walls, the upperflange being shorter at the front than the lower flange, and a secondand similar pair of flanges positioned adjacent the top edge of saidintermediate wall and extending toward said first pair; and a coverenclosing one of said compartments, said cover `comprising a top wall,depending side walls, and a discontinuous flange extending outwardlyfrom each of opposing side walls thereof, the front portion of each ofsaid cover anges being lower than the remaining portion, its lowerflange portions, when said cover is assembled with said tray, restingupon the lower tray flanges and its upper flange portions resting uponthe upper tray anges, thereby slidably supporting said cover over saidone compartment in a manner whereby the lower portion of said cover angepasses between said tray ilanges to retain said cover engaged with saidtray when said cover is moved rearwardly relative to said tray.

2. In a cabinet having an open front compartment: a Chiller-drawer saiddrawer comprising; a tray having a bottom Wall, upstanding side walls,and an intermediate wall, defining a two-compartment open-toppedreceptacle, said tray also including a pair of upper and lower channelforming flanges extending inwardly from adjacent the top edge of one ofsaid side walls, the upper and a second and similar pair of flangespositioned adjacent the top edge of said intermediate wall and extendingtoward said rst pair; a cover enclosing one of said compartments, saidcover comprising a top wall, depending side walls, and a discontinuousange extending outwardly from each of opposing side walls thereof, thefront portion of each of said cover flanges being lower than theremaining portion, its lower flange portion, when said cover isassembled with said tray, resting upon the lower tray iianges and itsupper ilange portion resting upon the upper tray iianges, therebyslidably supporting said cover over said one compartment in a mannerwhereby the lower portion of said cover flange passes between said trayflanges to retain said cover engaged with said ray when said cover ismoved rearwardly relative to said tray; latch means fixed to saidcabinet adjacent the open front of said compartment; and keeper means onsaid cover normally cooperative with said latch means to retain saidcover within said compartment when said Chiller-drawer is moved to aforward position, said keeper means being separable from said latchmeans to permit said cover to move with said member.

3. A Chiller-drawer for refrigerator cabinets, said drawer comprising: atray havin-g a bottom wall and upstanding side walls, defining anopen-topped receptacle, said tray also including a pair of upper andlower channel forming flanges extending inwardly from adjacent the topedge of said side walls, the upper ange being shorter at the front thanthe lower flange; and a cover enclosing said compartment, said covercomprising a top wall, depending side walls, and a discontinuous flangeextending outwardly from each of opposing side walls thereof, the frontportion of each of said cover flanges being lower than the remainingportion, its lower flange portions, when said cover is assembled withsaid tray, resting upon the llower tray anges and its upper iian'geportions resting upon the upper tray flanges, thereby slidably supporting said cover over said compartment in a manner whereby the lowerportion of said cover ange passes between said tray llanges to retainsaid cover engaged with said tray when said cover is moved rearwardlyrelative to said tray.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 306,290Sherman Oct. 7, 1884 646,283 Heatley et al. Mar. 27, 1900 1,830,044Vandoren Nov. 3, 1931 2,576,508 Gluckman Nov. 27, 1951 2,604,762 QuinnJuly 29, 1952

